Evidence Level
Moderate
Butyrate is one of the most studied short-chain fatty acids in gut health research. Canani et al. (2011) published a comprehensive review establishing butyrate's role in maintaining intestinal barrier function and modulating the immune response in the colon. Liu et al. (2018) demonstrated that butyrate supplementation restored gut barrier integrity and reduced markers of intestinal permeability in both animal and human models. Donohoe et al. (2011) showed that butyrate serves as the preferred energy substrate for colonocytes and promotes healthy cell differentiation. The tributyrin delivery form is specifically designed to overcome the poor colonic bioavailability of free butyrate salts.